Senate passes bill over equal Secret Service protection for major party candidates

The Senate on Tuesday unanimously passed a House bill that would require an equal standard of U.S. Secret Service protection to be applied to presidents and all major party candidates.

The bill, which cleared the House last Friday , a week after the second apparent assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, will now head to President Joe Biden's desk for final approval.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., brought the bill forward for unanimous approval on Tuesday afternoon.

"We all know why this legislation is needed. In a span of just 65 days … President Trump has been the target of two assassination attempts," Scott said. "I'm proud to lead this effort in the Senate. I'm on the floor today to request the immediate passage of the Enhanced Presidential Security Act so we can send this good and necessary to President Biden's desk so it may become law. Our action today goes beyond the simple language of this bill."

Sen. Chris Murphy, the Chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and a Democrat, said that he did not believe the legislation would have any meaningful impact on the security posture surrounding Trump but did not object to it moving forward.

As noted, Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe has stated that Trump is already receiving the highest level of U.S. Secret Service protection.

Murphy said the upcoming supplemental funding for the Secret Service set to be included in the short-term funding measure is a more meaningful approach to upping Trump's security.

"Let's move ahead with this bill. I don't think it actually solves the problem. Let's pass the additional money so they have everything they need to get the job done. And then let's sit down and have a broader conversation about why we have seen this spike in political violence, what other ways Republicans and Democrats can come together," Murphy said.